Crystal Clear
by StarbuckJayne
Summary: What if one day you started to realise that your life wasn't everything you thought it to be?


Crystal Clear  
  
By Starbuck_Jayne  
Starbuck_Jayne@mulderandscully.co.uk  
www.geocities.com/Starbuck_Jayne  
  
Rating: G   
  
Spoilers: None  
  
Keywords: MSR/Supernatural...but not so   
much in this chapter!  
  
Disclaimer: These characters belong to   
Chris Carter, 1013 Productions and Fox...I'm   
just playing with them.  
  
Archive: Anywhere at all just please keep   
my name and e-mail attached, but no flames   
please I'm way too delicate!  
  
Summary: What if one day you started to   
realise your life wasn't everything you   
thought it to be?  
  
Feedback: Please!!   
  
Author's Notes: This is my first chapter fic   
so I hope I don't get too carried away and   
forget where I was originally going etc etc!   
Please read and review!  
  
Crystal Clear  
  
Starbuck_Jayne  
  
XXXXXXX  
  
Dana Scully had been on the road for what   
seemed like weeks. Her neck ached, her back   
ached, her feet ached and the pain that   
crashed through her skull was pushing the   
limits of torture. Now, as she perched on   
the edge of her steadily filling bathtub she   
mentally ran through the day's key events.  
  
He'd taken her to "Pedro's" for lunch. No   
particular reason. Nothing particularly   
special either, just some Spanish place he'd   
found a few blocks away from where they were   
supposed to be. Scully didn't think that   
she'd ever had Spanish, at least not with   
Mulder. Chinese, Cantonese, Taiwanese, more   
Chinese but not Spanish. But, like he said,   
he didn't need an excuse to take his partner   
out for lunch and this was as good a place   
as any. She couldn't help but wonder if the   
Spanish theme was maybe a hint, though.   
This better not be about El Chupacabra again   
because that was something she *really*   
wasn't in the mood for.  
  
Scully turned off the bath taps, and   
regarded the water with weary anticipation.   
Spirals of steam twisted up from the tub,   
carrying with them a fragrant aroma of   
lavender. A few candles completed the   
effect, and Scully watched as the lazy   
shadows that they cast flickered across the   
walls. The water was so hot that it caused   
her skin to tingle, but as it lapped over   
her aching body she could almost feel her   
pain dissolving.  
  
She barely had time to sigh before the   
'phone started ringing. Briefly tempted to   
ignore it, she considered the options-tell   
them that she had been out, or held at   
ransom, but her curiosity and somewhat   
pessimistic nature got the better of her.  
  
"Mulder if this is you I swear..." she   
threatened the unidentified caller, wrapping   
herself in a towel and heading towards her   
bedroom. She had the phone in her hand   
before the first wave of pain struck,   
seizing her in its grip and causing her to   
hit a state of semi-consciousness. She   
gasped in shock, putting her hand to her   
eyes as an image darted before them. Then,   
in a second, it was gone; leaving her with   
only the original throbbing.  
  
"Scully? Scully are you there?" She had   
forgotten that the phone was in her hand,   
and now raised it cautiously to her ear.  
  
"Yeah, Mulder, I'm here."  
  
"Listen, I know you're probably busy and I'm   
sorry for interrupting and I *know* we've   
only just got back but there's something I   
think you should hear about this Matthews   
case..." Mulder broke off, suddenly aware   
that he had received no response from his   
partner for what must have been a good few   
seconds, perhaps not entirely unusual   
judging from the nature of his call; but   
there had been the peculiar silence at the   
start of the conversation. "You ok,   
Scully?"  
  
Scully was forced back to reality at the cue   
for her part of this particular dialogue.   
"I'm fine," she considered a possible   
elaboration, "I'm just tired. 48 hours   
without sleep may still have no effect on   
you, Mulder, but unfortunately I'm not as   
young as I used to be." She managed to   
convince herself as well as her partner.  
  
"What are you implying, Agent Scully?" He   
grinned. "Well, Ok I'll tell you in the   
morning. Sleep well."  
  
"Goodnight," she smiled and replaced the   
receiver before heading back to the   
bathroom. Slipping tentatively back into   
the tub she allowed herself to become   
submerged in the water once more. It was   
then that she fell into, what she would   
later describe as, a light sleep.  
  
XXXXXXX  
  
In her mind's eye she saw him. Yet, it   
wasn't him. The man standing before her   
didn't bear the slightest resemblance to her   
partner, and still she knew it was him.   
  
"Mulder?" She knew she had spoken, but her   
voice was weak, not to mention so coarse   
that it was barely recognisable. Her throat   
was dry- the desert that bore this arid   
tone. The man, (Mulder, she was sure of   
it), turned to someone at his side.  
  
"Did you hear that? What did she say?" He   
exclaimed, frantically demanding an answer.   
"Daya, it's me! Can you hear me?"  
  
The image faded as quickly as it had   
appeared, and Scully soon realised that her   
lack of breath was due to the fact that she   
had slipped below the surface of the water.   
Coughing and struggling for air she stumbled   
to her feet; extinguishing most of the   
candles in the process as the, now lukewarm,   
bathwater splashed over them. Placing a   
hand on the side of the tub she closed her   
eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to steady   
herself by balancing once again on the side   
of the bath. It was only then that she   
realised what he had called her: "Dana".   
Only, it hadn't even sounded like Dana...She   
shook her head, immediately reawakening the   
pain that had been lying dormant and causing   
her to resign herself to the truth- the only   
option was bed. Her rational mind told her   
to put the dream down to just that- a dream.   
Or maybe even the paella...but a frightened,   
almost juvenile persona wanted to call   
Mulder...  
  
XXXXXXX  
  
Stay tuned for Chapter 2! If you think it's   
worth it! 


End file.
